TENNIS: Local Teams Seek Promotion
The Green men’s first team virtually ensured their promotion from the third to the second division of the TDS Ultra Sussex Winter Doubles League when they defeated Preston 3-1 last Sunday in their final match. The St Leonards club were without top coach Joe Adams, but Ross Cudmore, who has left Amherst to join them mid-season, teamed up with Alex Williams to win both their rubbers on the day. Chris Grief and Paul Tune chipped in with a vital win against the second-string opposition to raise the team’s overall points tally for the season to 15 from 6. Hurstpierpoint, who have 14 with two matches still to play, are almost certain to overtake them for the top spot, and Preston could still theoretically overhaul them too but would have to score at least 10 from their last three, a very low probability.
Anita Pearce of Amherst
The Green Ladies remain very dependent on the quality of their first pairing, Beaula Page and Amanda Ruck. Playing together, they romped past both opposition pairs in their opening matches against Saltdean and Seaford in the third division of the ladies’ league, but with Page missing for the third match against Angmering the team went down 4-0.
After relegation last winter, Amherst Ladies play in the same division just a mile down the road. They had lost 0-4 to Seaford in November and drew 2-2 with Saltdean in January but, by contrast, defeated Angmering 4-0 in a very one-sided contest earlier this month. Jada Ani and Anita Pearce lost only two games in four sets, while Nikki Crowhurst and Pearl Hare were almost as dominant. Amherst and The Green are scheduled to meet at the former’s courts on 25 February in what should prove a highly competitive contest.
Meanwhile Amherst men retain an outside chance of promotion from Division 5 after dispatching Crowborough 4-0 on 4 February. First pair Dylan Preece and Quentin Soucek are formidable at this level, and the second pair, Mark Cunnington and Anthony Hickey, have also been scoring well. Maximum points in the last match against Badgers on 3 March could be enough to raise them to Division 4 if other results go their way.
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